PM says he can’t interfere in dispute over N.B. blood facility

FREDERICTON – Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he cannot interfere in a decision by Canadian Blood Services to move blood processing work from New Brunswick to Halifax, a decision that deals another blow to the provincial government’s efforts to keep the Saint John facility intact.

In a letter to Premier David Alward — obtained by The Canadian Press — Harper said the federal government’s role is “restricted to regulatory oversight of the safety of blood and blood products.”

“The federal government does not have a role with respect to the Canadian Blood Services corporate or operational decisions,” Harper wrote.

Alward had written to the prime minister in an effort to block the move, which is expected when a new regional blood centre opens in Halifax by the end of next year.

The premier said the letter doesn’t end the fight.

“It provides another piece of clarity and it means that we have a lot of work to do, which is what we’ve said in the past,” Alward said in an interview on Friday.

Health Minister Madeleine Dube said she’ll continue to consult doctors and the public on the results of a study released last month.

The $350,000 study by KPMG looked at whether the province should remain in partnership with Canadian Blood Services, create a new blood agency or partner with another agency in Quebec.

The review estimates start-up costs of between $27 million and $40 million to start a new agency, and between $22 million and $35 million to partner with another blood agency.

Both options would also have ongoing costs that the province wouldn’t have to pay if it remains with Canadian Blood Services, the review said.

“We will continue to talk to CBS, but we haven’t stopped the fight, that’s for sure,” Dube said. “But in time we’re going to have to sit down as a government with the information that we’ve gathered and make a decision.”

No deadline for that decision has been set.

Canadian Blood Services announced in March 2009 that it planned to consolidate some of its facilities across the country to cut costs and improve efficiency.

Three Ontario production facilities in Toronto, Hamilton and London are being replaced with one facility in Brampton.

The next change would involve the move of most blood production work from Saint John to a new regional facility in Halifax.

The agency would keep blood donation, storage and distribution in Saint John, where there are currently 120 employees.

Some doctors have expressed concerns about maintaining a sufficient supply of blood in New Brunswick.

Last month, Amanda Cullen, a spokeswoman for Canadian Blood Services, said the Saint John facility would store three to four days’ worth of blood supply for hospitals, just as it does now.

She said the agency is testing an air service out of Halifax to get blood to hospitals in northern New Brunswick, and the Saint John facility would also serve as a backup for them.